Ladder Rung Footwear Protection Assembly

ABSTRACT

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a shoe sole including an outsole, a midsole is positioned on the outsole, and an insole positioned on the midsole. A foot surround is attached to and extends upwardly from the shoe sole. The foot surround includes an upper and a heal counter. The midsole has an upper surface, a lower surface, a front end, and a rear end. The midsole facilitates flexion in a first direction allowing the upper surface to become concavely arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end and resists flexion in a second direction to prevent the upper surface from becoming convexly arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

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STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR Not Applicable BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to protective footwear device and more particularly pertains to a new protective footwear device for preventing soreness to a person's feet when the person is required to stand on a ladder rung for an extended period of time.

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to protective footwear device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a shoe sole including an outsole, a midsole is positioned on the outsole, and an insole positioned on the midsole. A foot surround is attached to and extends upwardly from the shoe sole. The foot surround includes an upper and a heal counter. The midsole has an upper surface, a lower surface, a front end, and a rear end. The midsole facilitates flexion in a first direction allowing the upper surface to become concavely arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end and resists flexion in a second direction to prevent the upper surface from becoming convexly arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a midsole of a ladder rung footwear protection assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a bottom isometric view of the midsole of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a broken side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing a bottom side of the midsole.

FIG. 5 is a broken side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a side in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a top isometric view of another embodiment the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a bottom isometric view of the midsole of the embodiment of FIG. 7 of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a broken side view of the embodiment of FIG. 7 of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9 showing a bottom side of the midsole.

FIG. 11 is a broken side view of a third embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a side in-use view of the third embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of the disclosure showing the third embodiment utilizing the footwear of FIG. 9 .

FIG. 14 is an enlarged view of the area designated “14” in FIG. 5 of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 14 thereof, a new protective footwear device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 14 , the ladder rung footwear protection assembly 10 generally comprises a modification of conventional footwear and includes a shoe sole 12 having an outsole 14, a midsole 16 positioned on the outsole 14, and an insole 18 is positioned on the midsole 16. A foot surround 18 is attached to and extends upwardly from the shoe sole. More particularly, the foot surround 18 may be attached to outsole 14 along its perimeter edge. Thus, the midsole 16 and insole 14 may be adhered to each other and each may be removable from a remainder of the assembly 10. For clarification, the foot surround 18 includes an upper 20 and a heal counter 22. Discrete areas of the midsole 16 may be attached to outsole 14, but, for reasons which will become clear below, will typically be substantially un-attached to the outsole. The insole 18 will be generally conventional and include cushioning and arch support features.

The foot surround 18 structure may include conventional structure for a tennis shoes, boots, and the like. Thus, closures 24 including shoe laces, buckles, hook and loop closures may be utilized. Cushioning and supporting material may be positioned on or within the foot surround 18. Other conventional structures may be utilized as well. For example, if the assembly 10 is to be used for a general work boot, the upper 20 may include a hardened insert to protect the person's toes. The outsole 14 will often include gripping materials and texture to enhance grip with a ground surface and ladder rungs 26.

The midsole 16 has an upper surface 28, a lower surface 30, a front end 32, and a rear end 34. The midsole 16 facilitates flexion in a first direction allowing the upper surface 28 to become concavely arcuate along a line extending from the front end 32 to the rear end 34. The midsole 16 resists flexion in a second direction to prevent the upper surface 28 from becoming convexly arcuate along a line extending from the front end 32 to the rear end 34. Because the midsole 16 does not convexly flex, the insole 18, when placed on a rung 26, will retain a shape as though the assembly 10 is placed on a flat surface. Consequently, a user's foot will be protected from fatigue and will not become sore due to their weight being spread out over the insole 18 as opposed to only an area where the shoe sole 12 engages the rung.

In one embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 , the lower surface 30 of the midsole includes a plurality of breaks 36 extending from a first lateral edge 38 to a second lateral edge 39 of the midsole 16. A plurality of sets of abutting sections 40 is defined on opposite sides of each of the breaks 36. Each of the sections 40 has a lower edge 42 adjacent to the lower surface 30. The lower edges 42 are movable away from each other to allow concave flexion in the upper surface 28 and abut each other when the midsole resists convex flexion of the upper surface 28. The breaks 36 are typically spaced from each other a distance of between 0.25 inches and 1.0 inch, and also include at least 4 breaks.

The midsole 16 may comprise a plurality of blocks 44 and a flexible panel 46. The plurality of blocks 44 may form the sections 40 and the lower surface 30. The panel 46 forms the upper surface 28 and is secured to the blocks 44 opposite of the lower surface 30. The panel 46 is comprised of a flexible material to allow bending such that it functions as hinge relative to the blocks 44. Alternatively, the flexible panel 46 and the blocks 44 may be formed from a unitary structure wherein the breaks 36 do not extend through the upper surface 28 and create a living hinge in the upper surface 28 connecting together each section 40.

In some embodiments, the midsole 16 includes a lower portion 48 and an upper portion 50. The lower portion 48 comprises a plurality of blocks 44 that are discrete with respect to each other and the upper portion 48 comprises a panel 46 that is resiliently flexible. The upper portion 50 is adhered to the plurality of blocks 44 such that adjacent ones of upper edges 52 of the blocks 44 are retained in abutment with each other by the panel 46 and lower edges 42 of the blocks 44 are selectively abutted against each other to prevent convex flexing of the upper surface 28. Adjacent ones of the lower edges 44 of the blocks 44 are movable away from each other to allow concave flexing of the upper surface 28. The blocks 44 are comprised of generally rigid, non-compressible materials including plastics, carbon fiber, and elastomeric materials.

The blocks 44 may each extend fully between the first 38 and second 39 lateral edges. However, as is evident from FIG. 4 , the blocks may instead include a plurality blocks aligned to form rows extending between the first 38 and 39 lateral edges. FIG. 4 shows the breaks 36 between the rows as well as dividing lines 54 defined between laterally adjacent blocks 44 that are perpendicular to the breaks 36. The dividing lines 54 may be offset from each other from row to row to further allow independent flexing of the rows relative to each other.

A second embodiment 56 and a third embodiment 58 are provided for in FIGS. 7-13 . Each of these embodiments is generally similar in function and construction as the first embodiment of FIGS. 1-6 . However, as can be most clearly seen in FIGS. 8 and 12 , these embodiments do not include dividing lines 54 and therefore only including dividing lines 36. Thus, the abutting sections 40 each fully extend as unitary blocks 44 from the first lateral edge 38 to the second lateral edge 39. Moreover, the portion of the midsole 16 containing the abutting sections 40 may be spaced from the front end 32 and rear end 34 as depicted in FIG. 12 . Thus, the portion of the upper surface 28 of the midsole 16 which resists convex arcing may be positioned only where best served while the user's foot is on the rung 26. Areas without breaks, therefore, may extend from the front end 32 and the rear end 34 a distance greater than 1.5 inches, and more typically more than 3.0 inches from the rear end 34.

In use, the assembly 10 is worn in a conventional manner as footwear. However, when worn on a ladder, the assembly 10 prevents the shoe from arcing around a ladder rung 26. Typically when a foot is placed on the rung 26, the weight of the person is concentrated on the area of their foot where it engages the rung 26 and the inside of the user's footwear becomes, at least partially, convexly arcuate. The assembly 10 prevents the midsole 16 from curving around the rung 26 and thereby continues to spread the user's weight across the entire insole 18. In this manner, the assembly 10 prevents fatigue and soreness to the foot. However, by allowing concave flexing of the insole 18, the midsole 16 does not interfere with the ability of the user to walk while wearing the assembly 10.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements. 

I claim:
 1. A foot covering assembly configured for increasing comfort during extending periods of standing on a ladder rung, the foot covering assembly comprising: a shoe sole including: an outsole; a midsole being positioned on the outsole; an insole being positioned on the midsole; a foot surround being attached to and extending upwardly from the shoe sole, the foot surround including an upper and a heal counter; and the midsole having an upper surface, a lower surface, a front end, and a rear end, the midsole facilitating flexion in a first direction allowing the upper surface to become concavely arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end, the midsole resisting flexion in a second direction to prevent the upper surface from becoming convexly arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end.
 2. The foot covering assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the midsole includes a plurality of breaks extending from a first lateral edge to a second lateral edge of the midsole, a plurality of sets of abutting sections being defined on opposite sides of each of the breaks, each of the sections having a lower edge being adjacent to the lower surface, the lower edges being movable away from each other to allow concave flexion in the upper surface, the lower edges abutting each other when the midsole resists convex flexion of the upper surface.
 3. The foot covering assembly according to claim 2, wherein the midsole comprises a plurality of blocks and a flexible panel, the plurality of blocks forming the sections and the lower surface, the panel forming the upper surface, the panel being secured to the blocks opposite of the lower surface, the panel being comprised of a flexible material.
 4. The foot covering assembly according to claim 1, wherein the midsole includes a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion comprising a plurality of blocks being discrete with respect to each other, the upper portion comprising a panel being resiliently flexible, the upper portion being adhered to the plurality of blocks such that adjacent ones of upper edges of the blocks are retained in abutment with each other by the panel and lower edges of the blocks are abutted against each other to prevent convex flexing of the upper surface, adjacent ones of the lower edges of the blocks being movable away from each other to allow concave flexing of the upper surface.
 5. The foot covering assembly according to claim 4, wherein each of the blocks is comprised of a plastic material.
 6. The foot covering assembly according to claim 4, wherein each of the blocks is comprised of a carbon fiber material.
 7. The foot covering assembly according to claim 4, wherein each of the blocks is comprised of an elastomeric material.
 8. A foot covering assembly configured for increasing comfort during extending periods of standing on a ladder rung, the foot covering assembly comprising: a shoe sole including: an outsole; a midsole being positioned on the outsole; an insole being positioned on the midsole; a foot surround being attached to and extending upwardly from the shoe sole, the foot surround including an upper and a heal counter; the midsole having an upper surface, a lower surface, a front end, and a rear end, the midsole facilitating flexion in a first direction allowing the upper surface to become concavely arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end, the midsole resisting flexion in a second direction to prevent the upper surface from becoming convexly arcuate along a line extending from the front end to the rear end; the lower surface of the midsole including a plurality of breaks extending from a first lateral edge to a second lateral edge of the midsole, a plurality of sets of abutting sections being defined on opposite sides of each of the breaks, each of the sections having a lower edge being adjacent to the lower surface, the lower edges being movable away from each other to allow concave flexion in the upper surface, the lower edges abutting each other when the midsole resists convex flexion of the upper surface; and the midsole comprising a plurality of blocks and a flexible panel, the plurality of blocks forming the sections and the lower surface, the panel forming the upper surface, the panel being secured to the blocks opposite of the lower surface, the panel being comprised of a flexible material. 